Adoption

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many same-sex couples adopted children in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland and (4) England, in each of the last five years, and to date in 2013.

Lord Nash: 70 families in England who were in a same sex partnershipi were approved to be adopters during 2011-12. This is the only year for which data is currently available. Data for 2012-13 will be published by Ofsted in December 2013.
	The data on the number of looked after children who were adopted by same-sex couples in England for the years 2008 to 2012 is shown in the table below. Some couples will adopt two or more children. The number of couples who adopt will therefore be lower than the number of children adopted. Further information can be found in the 2011-12 First Statistical Releaseii.
	
		
			 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 80 120 120 100 160 
		
	
	Source:
	2012 Children Looked After Statistical First Release
	The Department for Education is responsible for adoptions in England only.
	i. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england-including-adoption
	ii. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/adoption- quality-assurance-and-data-forms-2011-12-first-statistical-release

Agriculture: Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord De Mauley on 30 July (HL Deb, col 1637–8), which scientific studies demonstrate that “chemicals with different toxic actions normally act independently. Chemicals with the same toxic action normally act additively”.

Lord De Mauley: The scientific studies are referenced in the following reports:
	The Working Group on Risk Assessment of Mixtures of Pesticides, published in 2002 and is available at: http://cot.food.gov.uk/pdfs/reportindexed.pdf
	IGHRC (2009) Chemical Mixtures: A Framework for Assessing Risk to Human Health (CR14). Institute of Environment and Health, Cranfield University, available at the Cranfield University website: www. cranfield.ac.uk.
	Toxicity and Assessment of Chemical Mixtures, published by the European Union Scientific Committees in 2011 and available at the EU’s website: www.ec.europa.eu.

Agriculture: Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have commissioned any research into the effects of glyphosate on the shikimate pathway of gut bacteria in insects, including bees, and mammals, including humans; if so, what are the results; and, if not, whether they intend to do so.

Lord De Mauley: The Government has not commissioned such research and does not intend to do so. The EU approval of glyphosate as an active substance for use in plant protection products is currently being reviewed, with Germany acting as the EU rapporteur prior to a peer review by the European Food Safety Authority. The assessment will include consideration of published research into these effects.

Bullying

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any link between homophobic bullying and HIV transmission.

Earl Howe: The Sexual Health Improvement Framework, published in March 2013, identifies reducing HIV transmission as a priority for improvement. The Framework highlights the importance of a number of interventions in helping to prevent HIV transmission, including tackling discrimination, embarrassment and stigma. The Framework also sets an overall ambition to build an honest and open culture where people can make responsible, informed and safe choices about their sexual health.
	Current national HIV surveillance systems are not sensitive enough to study and monitor social and environmental determinants of HIV transmission; we are therefore unable to provide evidence to assess any link between homophobic bullying and HIV transmission. However, as a point of principle, the Government is committed to tackling hate crimes, including homophobic bullying, and has published Challenge it, Report it, Stop it setting out its strategy for the remainder of this parliament.

Children: Sexual Abuse

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of sexual abuse of children in England in each year since 2000.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: In 2012 the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre published its first annual “Threat Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”, which examined current and emerging threats posed to children in the United Kingdom from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
	The 2013 “Threat Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” builds on and updates last year's document. The purpose of the assessment is to enable the centre, now a command under the National Crime Agency, to set its strategic priorities for the year ahead. It also provides a picture for partners to consider in their strategies and resource deployment.

Christians in the Middle East

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Joint Resolution of the European Parliament (2013/2872(RSP)) of 10 October 2013 concerning religious persecution, particularly of Christians, in Syria, Pakistan and Iran; and what representations they will make to those respective governments on the situations outlined in the resolution.

Baroness Warsi: Freedom of religion or belief is a human rights priority for this Government and a personal priority for me. We are deeply concerned by the Iranian regime’s ongoing persecution of its religious minorities - including Christians. The draft resolution raised the sentencing and continuing imprisonment of Pastor Abedini. We have urged the Iranian government to release him and to cease the persecution of individuals based on their faith. We will continue to do so.
	We are shocked and saddened by the continuing harassment and persecution of minorities in Pakistan, and in particular by the terrorist attacks against the Christian community in Peshawar on 22 September. As I said at the time, these attacks were cowardly and sickening – all the more so as they targeted people leaving their place of worship. I will continue to discuss minority rights' issues with the Pakistan government.
	During my meeting with Syrian Patriarch Gregorios III on 16 October we discussed the growing number of reports of Christians, and other minority groups, being targeted in Syria. I explained my readiness to speak up on behalf of all who are targeted for their religion or belief. We believe that President Assad’s actions include a deliberate attempt to stir up tensions in his effort to hold on to power. We are continuing to encourage the moderate opposition to build on their appeal and effectiveness over the extremists and are helping through project work focused on reconciliation work between Syria’s different sects.

Crime: Migrants

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many victims in the United Kingdom in 2012–13 of (1) violent crime, (2) sexual assault, and (3) female genital mutilation were (a) illegal migrants, (b) non-European Economic Area short-term visitors, and (c) non-European Economic Area temporary migrants.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I regret that the information requested is not available from the police recorded crime data collected by the Home Office. The migration status of victims of crime is not identified in the information that the Home Office receives from the police.

Energy: Green Deal

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many households have signed up for the Green Deal and had the measures installed to date.

Baroness Verma: The Department’s latest monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, published on 17 October, showed that 954 Green Deal Plans had at least reached the ‘quote accepted' stage by the end of September. Of those 954 Plans, 57 were ‘live' with energy efficiency measures installed by the end of September.
	There have been 85,177 Green Deal assessments lodged up to the end of September and research published on 17 September showed that 81% of households who had a Green Deal assessment between April and June 2013 said they have, are getting or intend to install at least one energy saving measure using various forms of finance.
	The statistical release can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics

Energy: Prices

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the energy price freezes put in place by npower, EDF and Scottish Power.

Baroness Verma: We welcome competitive energy tariffs from all energy companies. Fixed price tariffs offer customers certainty over the per unit price they pay over a certain period, although they may not be the cheapest tariff on the market.

Female Genital Mutilation

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of female genital mutilation operations carried out in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Due to the hidden nature of the crime, it is difficult to estimate accurately how many girls and women have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). A 2007 study carried out by the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD) and based on 2001 census data estimated that:
	• Over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 could be at high risk of FGM in England and Wales each year;• Nearly 66,000 women in England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM.
	The Home Office announced in July 2013 that it is part funding a new study into the prevalence of FGM in England and Wales.

Finance: Payday Loans

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reduce and prevent the ill effects of payday and other, similar, loans; and whether they are consulting the Financial Conduct Authority on the matter.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government has significant concerns about the ill effects of payday loans. Two reports published by The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) on 3 October provide further evidence confirming that problems in the payday lending market persist and that consumers are suffering harm as a result.
	The Government has been working closely with the regulators to address these problems. Ahead of the transfer of consumer credit to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in April 2014, the Office of Fair Trading has been undertaking strong enforcement work which has led to 25 payday lenders leaving the market since March.
	In addition, the OFT referred the entire payday lending sector to the Competition Commission in March so that they could investigate the root causes of problems and use their powers to fix them. The Competition Commission’s investigations are underway and we look forward to the outcome.
	The Government strongly welcomes the FCA’s consultation, published on 3 October ((http://www.fca.org.uk/news/firms/consumer-credit-detail), which sets out its bold package of action to tackle issues in this market.
	The FCA has confirmed that they plan to put in place measures that will require the industry to lend only to those who can afford it; limit the number of times a payday loan can be rolled over; cap lenders’ use of continuous payment authority; put restrictions on payday lending adverts; and make lenders signpost to free debt advice.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the finding by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York in its 2000 report A Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation that the evidence suggested a median of 14.6 per cent reduction in children with tooth decay in areas fluoridated at 1 part per million, why the NHS Choices website under ‘Fluoride’ (1) cites a single study reporting that fluoridated children “had nearly 60 per cent less tooth decay”, and (2) makes no reference to the York report.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Authors’ reply in the British Medical Journal on 16 June 2001 about the 2000 University of York report on water fluoridation that “We have been assiduous in our paper…not to convey a message of no evidence of harm”, whether they will ensure that the NHS Choices website under “Fluoride” no longer claims that fluoridated water and toothpaste “do not cause any harmful side effects to a person’s overall health”.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the finding by the 2000 University of York report on water fluoridation that 48 per cent of populations fluoridated at 1 part per million were affected by dental fluorosis and 12.5 per cent by fluorosis of aesthetic concern, and that geographical location was not significantly associated with those figures, whether they will ensure that the NHS Choices website under “Do fluoride levels in cheap tea pose a health risk?” no longer states that “fluorosis…is rare in the UK”.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement in Department of Health Report on Health and Social Subjects 41 on dietary reference values that “No essential function for fluoride (F) has been proven in humans”, whether they will ensure that the NHS Choices website under “Do fluoride levels in cheap tea pose a health risk?” no longer states that “Fluoride is a mineral that is needed for healthy teeth”, and that “fluoride is an essential micronutrient, needed to prevent dental decay”.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 12 February 2001 (WA 16) and by Earl Howe on 15 September 2011 (WA 87–8), whether the promotional role of the British Fluoridation Society which is recommended as a source of advice on the NHS Choices website under “Fluoride” makes it a suitable body to provide objective information on the claimed dental benefits of fluoride.

Earl Howe: The NHS Choices website section on fluoride is due for review in January 2014 and we have asked Public Health England (PHE) to review the information and make recommendations by 15 December. This will include ensuring that the information for the public is clear and based on evidence.
	Pending that review, we are advised by PHE that there is no credible scientific evidence that water fluoridation at 1 part per million, the target level for water fluoridation schemes in England, or fluoridated toothpaste, used as such, is a cause of general ill health.
	Regarding dental fluorosis, we are advised by PHE of a recent research by McGrady and co-workers, published in BMC Public Health 2012, comparing levels of dental fluorosis in fluoridated Newcastle and unfluoridated Manchester which showed that 0.1% of children in Newcastle had severe fluorosis compared with 0.2% in Manchester; the prevalence of moderate fluorosis was 1% in Newcastle compared to 0% in Manchester, these being far lower levels than those suggested by the York review.

Government Departments: Opinion Polls

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many opinion polls have been carried out in the past two years for the Department for Transport; on what issues the polls were conducted; when they were conducted; what was the cost of each poll; and how many people were polled.

Baroness Kramer: The table below lists those projects commissioned by the Department for Transport since October 2011 whose main identifiable purpose has been to obtain quantitative data on public opinions and attitudes. The total cost of such projects over this two-year period was approximately £560,000.
	
		
			 Title / subject of survey Fieldwork dates Cost Numbers interviewed 
			 Attitudes towards HS2 Jan 2013 £37,500 2,013 (general public) 2,000 (line of route) 
			 Attitudes towards HS2 March 2013 £31,200 2,058 (general public) 2,001 (line of route) 
			 Annual survey of THINK! (road safety public information campaign) July 2013 £61,000 1,853 (general public) 
			 Civil Aviation Authority survey of air passenger experience of security screening 2012 Throughout 2012 £23,500 (DfT contribution) 24,000 (passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Manchester airports) 
		
	
	
		
			 Civil Aviation Authority survey of air passenger experience of security screening 2013 Throughout 2013 £23,500 (DfT contribution) Expecting approx. 24,000 (passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports) 
			 Transport questions in British Social Attitudes Survey 2012 July - September 2012 £114,500 (DfT contribution) 3,248 (general public) 
			 Transport questions in British Social Attitudes Survey 2013 July - September 2013 £118,500 (DfT contribution) Not yet confirmed 
			 Public attitudes towards rail services April 2012 £56,100 1,085 (general public) 
			 Public attitudes towards buses March 2013 £31,000 910 (general public) 
			 Public attitudes towards roads investment April – October 2013 £62,300 Three general public surveys conducted in April, June and September 2013. Response totals were 1,738, 3,512 and 3,492 respectively 
		
	
	The above list does not include public polling elements of wider research or evaluation contracts. It also does not include polling work commissioned by the department’s Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	The information requested by this question is not held centrally and this answer is based on information collated from a number of different teams within the Department. While it represents as comprehensive an answer as is possible in the time available, some omissions may remain.

Habitual Residence Test

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 23 September (WA 461), on what basis they have judged the proposed residence test a “fair and appropriate” way to demonstrate a connection to the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 23 September (WA 461), why they consider that “individuals should in principle have a strong connection to the United Kingdom in order to benefit from the civil legal aid scheme”.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what instances a person excluded from civil legal aid as a result of the residence test will be entitled to apply for exceptional
	funding; and whether an impact assessment of that policy has been conducted for vulnerable groups.

Lord McNally: At around £2 billion a year, we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems of its type in the world. Legal aid is paid for by taxpayers and we must always seek to ensure that the system commands their support. The consultation paper Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system, therefore contained a range of measures aimed at reducing the cost of and promoting public confidence in the legal aid scheme.
	The Government believes that individuals should in principle have a strong connection to the UK in order to benefit from the civil legal aid scheme. As with any other public services, legal aid must be fair to the people who use it but also fair for the taxpayer who pays for it. The Government believes that those who do not have a strong connection should not be prioritised for funding in the same way as those who do have a strong connection. We must ensure that limited resource is targeted appropriately. This is always an important responsibility of Government but even more so at a time of financial constraint.
	We consider that the residence test we have proposed is a fair and appropriate way to demonstrate such a strong connection. In our view a test which takes into account both current lawful residence and at least 12 months of previous lawful residence demonstrates a meaningful connection to the UK.
	Any individual excluded from civil legal aid as a result of the residence test would be entitled to apply for exceptional funding under the power set out in section 10 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) (including applications for services described in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to LASPO from which the individual would be excluded as a result of the test).
	As part of our consultation response we have updated our assessment of the impacts of this policy. This can be found at https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid-next-steps/consult_view.

Health: Mental Health

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have commissioned a National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services for the year 2012–13.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total investment in adult mental health services in England in the year 2012–13; and how that figure compares with investment in the year 2011–12.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money was invested in adult mental health services in 2012–13 in England in respect of (1) psychological
	therapy services, (2) secure services, (3) clinical services, (4) community mental health teams, (5) access and crisis services, and (6) continuing care.

Earl Howe: The Government has not commissioned a National Survey of Investment for Adults or Older Adults for 2012-13.
	Current data is not available for the total investment in adult mental health services in England or how much money was invested in the adult mental health services specified for 2012-13.
	We are currently working with NHS England to explore the use of data collected as part of the Programme Budgeting collection as a potential replacement.

Human Trafficking

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with the devolved administrations in relation to action and policy to protect child victims of human trafficking.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK Government works closely with the devolved administrations to tackle human trafficking. The Welsh Minister for Local Government and Government Business, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Northern Ireland Minister of Justice sit on the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on human trafficking which provides direction and oversight on the UK's efforts to tackle human trafficking.
	Across the UK officials work closely to ensure there is a shared understanding of the scale of the problem and the nature of the threat. Officials from the devolved administrations are also represented on the Home Office-led Human Trafficking Officials Strategy Board and the Joint Strategic Group on Human Trafficking, which meet at official level, to shape and inform the UK response including on child trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that guidelines and legislation relating to human slavery and the trafficking of children work effectively across the whole United Kingdom.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on human trafficking brings together UK Government Ministers and ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government. The Group provide direction and oversight on the UK's efforts to tackle human trafficking, including of children.
	The work of the IDMG ensures a common awareness of the nature of the problem and a shared understanding of measures developed in response.

Interpol

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the increasing use of Interpol red notices by individual countries.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government has not made an assessment of this kind.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning (1) the three Palestinian civilians who were shot and killed by live fire in Qalandia refugee camp on 26 August, and (2) the civilian killed in Jenin refugee camp on 20 August.

Baroness Warsi: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv made representations over the death of a Palestinian civilian at the Jenin refugee camp with the Israeli Prime Minister's office on 21 and 23 August. They also stressed our concern over the use of live fire by the Israeli Defence Force resulting in the deaths of three Palestinian civilians in Qalandia refugee camp with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on 29 August. They have subsequently made representations on the general issue of Israeli military incursions into Palestinian population areas and use of live fire to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office on 17 September.

Local Audit and Accountability Bill

Lord Christopher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 8 October (WA 27), what was the expenditure, both direct and indirect, incurred in anticipation of the passage of the Local Audit and Accountability Bill; and upon what was the expenditure incurred.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: In line with usual practice, officials at my Department have developed draft regulations for the Local Audit Accountability Bill, to enable
	appropriate scrutiny during the Bill’s passage through Parliament. No direct expenditure is incurred and no formal record is kept of the indirect staff costs of carrying out this work.
	My Department spent £59,033 on expert professional and actuarial advice on the guarantee that was outlined in the Written Statement of 25 April 2012, Official Report, Columns WS170-1; this guarantee protected taxpayers’ interests by avoiding an unnecessary early crystallisation of liabilities.
	More broadly, the abolition of the Audit Commission regime will deliver a net £1.2 billion of savings for taxpayers over a ten year period.

Northern Ireland: Inquiries

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total cost to date of the Saville Inquiry and each of the inquiries subsequent to the Inquiry by Judge Cory.

Baroness Randerson: I refer the Noble Lord to the information detailed below:
	The Bloody Sunday Inquiry: £191.5 millionThe Billy Wright Inquiry: £30.5 millionThe Rosemary Nelson Inquiry: £46.46 millionThe Robert Hamill Inquiry: £33 million
	*
	Total Cost: £301.46 million
	* The inquiry is completed but has yet to be published; these are the costs as of the end of September 2013.

Northern Ireland Parades Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the selection process for the appointment of Commissioners to the Northern Ireland Parades Commission; who will carry out the selections; and what are the qualifications for that task.

Baroness Randerson: Appointments to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. In accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, appointment will be on merit following a fair and open recruitment process. All stages of the process will be undertaken by a selection panel, which will be chaired by a Public Appointments Assessor allocated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and include an independent member. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland appoints the Commission.

Railways: High Speed 2

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the HS2 expenditure has been committed to private sector contracts to date.

Baroness Kramer: The amount of committed contracts let to the Private Sector to date is £279.8 million for HS2 Ltd and £4.8 million for the Department for Transport.

Railways: High Speed 2

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a list of mitigation measures agreed by HS2 Limited as a result of the views expressed by the Community Forum undertaken in the areas affected by Phase 1 of HS2.

Baroness Kramer: Mitigation measures will be set out in the Phase One Environmental Statement and reflected in the hybrid Bill documents, which will be deposited to Parliament later this year. Proposals for mitigation have come from many different sources, including the Community Forums, and it would not be possible or practical to identify those changes that are a direct result of the Community Forum alone.

Railways: High Speed 2

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a list of consultants advising the Department of Transport and HS2 Limited on HS2 in the last year.

Baroness Kramer: The consultants advising HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport (DfT) in the last year are as follows:
	
		
			 HS2 Ltd 
			 AECOM 
			 Arup 
			 Atkins Ltd 
			 Autodesk 
			 Axis12 
			 Bircham Dyson Bell 
			 Blom Aerofilms 
			 Booz Temple 
			 Capita Symonds 
			 CBRE 
			 CHM2 Hill 
			 CJ Associates 
			 Colliers 
			 Davis Langdon 
			 Deloitte LLP 
			 Delta 7 
			 Design Triangle 
			 Dialogue by Design 
			 Environmental Resources Management Ltd 
			 Eversheds 
			 Exitech 
		
	
	
		
			 Funkwerk 
			 GVA 
			 Ipsos Mori 
			 KPMG 
			 M4C Media 
			 MHP Communications 
			 Michelle Francis 
			 M-is Event Mgmt 
			 Mochel Ltd 
			 Mott McDonald Ltd 
			 MVA 
			 MVA Motts 
			 Oil & Pipeline 
			 Open Reach 
			 Ove Arup 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd 
			 PWC 
			 Qube Global S/W 
			 R Jones 
			 Real Wireless 
			 Rowsell Wright 
			 SKM 
			 Steer Davies Geer 
			 Sustainable Catalyst Ltd 
			 Systra 
			 Tavistock Institute 
			 Temple Group 
			 TerraQuest 
			 The Surgery 
			 TNS BMRB 
			 Tomboy Films 
			 Tony Burton 
			 UKPNS 
			 Westbourne Communications 
			  
			 DfT 
			  
			 Winckworth Sherwoods Eversheds 
			 Landmark Chambers 
			 39 Essex Street 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd 
			 WS Atkins 
			 Mott Macdonald 
			 Tomboy Films 
			 Westbourne Communications

Railways: High Speed 2

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the advice of consultants advising both the Department of Transport and HS2 Limited on HS2 has cost in the last year for which figures are available.

Baroness Kramer: HS2 Ltd spent £186 million and the Department for Transport £4.2 million on consultancy advice in the last year.

Royal Mail

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which banks they employed to advise on the pricing of the Royal Mail privatisation; and how much each of those banks has or will be paid for that work.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department received advice on the pricing of Royal Mail shares from the Initial Public Offering’s (IPO's) two Global Co-ordinators (UBS and Goldman Sachs) and our independent adviser, Lazard. Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Investec, Nomura and RBC were also members of the syndicate of banks underwriting the sale.
	In total the underwriting banks will share a maximum fee of 1.2% of the IPO proceeds, or £16.9 million. That maximum includes the potential discretionary fee of £4.2 million. The actual fee will be finalised shortly. Lazard will receive £1.5 million, as the Government’s independent adviser.

Schools: External Visitors and Contributors

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish best practice guidance for schools that work with external visitors and contributors, and in particular, religion and belief groups.

Lord Nash: External visitors to schools can provide a valuable contribution to children’s learning and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. How best to involve external visitors in schools will always be a matter for judgement by headteachers. On religious believers visiting schools in particular, headteachers are able to draw on guidance issued in 2007 by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education, which is available at: www.natre.org.uk/docstore/rbvs.pdf.
	Schools must be trusted to observe best practice and fulfil their legal duties and we do not feel it is necessary to issue new guidance on this.

Schools: Reading

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to reduce the proportion of seven-year-olds who do not reach the required level of reading capability.

Lord Nash: We are helping more seven-year-olds to reach the required level in reading, in particular through our support for systematic, synthetic phonics, and our reform of the national curriculum. The phonics check identifies six-year-olds who are below the expected level in reading and gives them extra reading support from their teachers. From September 2011 to October 2013, the Department has offered match-funding of up to £3000 to all state-funded primary schools with Key Stage 1 pupils, so that they can purchase effective systematic synthetic phonics materials and teacher training. Over the last two years
	13,400 schools have claimed around £21 million of Government money to buy high-quality phonics products or training so they can improve their teaching. The new national curriculum, which will come into effect from September 2014, has been designed to make sure that all children leave primary school fully literate and ready to progress at secondary school.

Smithwick Tribunal

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have contributed to the cost of the government of Ireland's Smithwick tribunal into the murder by the IRA of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Baroness Randerson: There has been no contribution by the Government to the operating costs of the Smithwick Tribunal.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent current consultations on the use of stop and search powers are involving community groups and the police.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 23 September (WA 457), what public consultations on the use of stop and search powers they are currently carrying out.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government launched a public consultation on the powers of stop and search on 2 July. The consultation closed after 12 weeks on 24 September and responses are currently being analysed, including detailed demographic data.
	The consultation was promoted via a number of different media, targeting national organisations and local community, voluntary and religious groups which has, as a result, generated a high volume of responses. The Home Office, together with the Equality and Human
	Rights Commission, also commissioned the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) to run a number of targeted consultation events across England and Wales involving young people and people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.
	The Home Office has received a number of responses to the consultation from individual police officers, police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners.
	The Government will publish an analysis of responses and respond to the consultation by the end of the year.